Strong winds are expected to blow through the county today and tomorrow, but aren't likely to bring a repeat of the late-October firestorms that struck the region twice in the past six years.

Still, San Diego County remains one of the few areas in California with a high wildfire risk.

“In some ways, it's a little worse” than when the last major blazes struck in 2007, said Rob Krohn, a meteorologist with the National Forest Service. “You're two more years into the (statewide) drought.”

Heavy rains earlier this month effectively ended the fire season for much of California north of Los Angeles. But from the San Bernardino Mountains south through San Diego County, the elevated fire danger remains. San Diego received just a trace of rain from the Oct. 13 storm that drenched most of the state, and the city hasn't had any measurable rain since June.

Much of the Cleveland National Forest and other areas of East County recorded only small amounts of rain from the storm two weeks ago. Julian was one of the wettest spots with 0.31 of an inch, but the rain wasn't widespread, Krohn said.

Vegetation in the backcountry is dry and vulnerable.

“The potential to have a very big fire is still out there,” said Cal Fire Battalion Chief Nick Schuler. “The difference between now and 2007 is that we haven't seen a significant Santa Ana wind event.”

Schuler urges residents to form fire evacuation plans, keep defensible space around their homes and sign up to receive reverse 911 calls during emergencies through readysandiego.org .

“If you live in San Diego County, you will be affected by wildfires,” Schuler said. “I'd love to tell people we'll never be affected again, but that's not true.”

Wind gusts could reach 50 mph this afternoon and evening in the mountains and deserts, where blowing dust could reduce visibility. The beaches could get gusts up to 30 mph.

Initially, low pressure moving down the West Coast will generate cool winds from the west. Then the winds are expected to switch late tonight and originate from the north, creating a pattern closer to a typical Santa Ana condition.

National Weather Service forecasters initially thought a Santa Ana this week might rival the howling winds that drove the Witch and Harris fires in '07. Now they predict a much cooler period, with higher levels of humidity and less of a fire threat in the county.

Temperatures at the coast and inland valleys should stay several degrees below normal through Friday, with highs in the upper 60s and low 70s. The mountains may not make it out of the 40s tomorrow, and even the deserts may not hit 70 degrees.

The direction of the winds from the north should also shield the county from the strongest gusts, Krohn said. The region is hit hardest when the winds come more from the east.

Santa Ana-like winds blew in the East County early yesterday. Descanso recorded a gust of 43 mph.

Santa Anas can pop up through March, Krohn said, although people don't tend to think about their potential to fan wildfires if a region has received enough rainfall.

The storm up north earlier this month has allowed Cal Fire to strengthen local defenses by positioning a third air tanker in Ramona, Schuler said. The tanker will remain there until San Diego County receives soaking rains.

Local firefighters can't gear down until after that widespread, significant precipitation, Schuler said. There's a slight chance of light rain or drizzle from the mountain slopes to the west today, but only a few hundredths of an inch are likely.

No storms are expected in San Diego County for at least the next 10 days.